


Muffled Sounds And Stolen Dreams

by renjunsrey



Series: Deaf Au's [6]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst related to hearing loss, Changkyun gets an ear infection and loses his hearing, Changkyun gives in and gets one, Changkyun is a music major, Dancer Shownu, Deaf Character, Deaf Im Changkyun | I.M, Deaf Jooheon, Deaf Son Hyunwoo | Shownu, Deafness Due To Illness, Description of Pain Caused By Illness, Fluff, Gloss and RM are iconic, Happy Ending, Jooheon and Shownu are good with their hearing aids, KiHyuk are like Changkyun's parents, M/M, Mild Angst, Minor Lee Minhyuk/Yoo Kihyun, Movie Night, Partially Deaf Characters, Rapper Im Changkyun | I.M, Rapper Jooheon, The stress of being in the music industry, Yoongi is just there lmao, but enjoy that, dj hyungwon, hearing aids do help but sometimes they don't!, hearing loss, i should say was, it ends up soft so you will be fine, rapper Lee Jooheon, side kihyuk, sleepover, they're just like brothers to Changkyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 09:43:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19391530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renjunsrey/pseuds/renjunsrey
Summary: Changkyun loses most of his hearing in his first year of his degree in Music Production due to an ear infection, forcing him to leave University temporarily. He struggles with his dreams being stolen from him by hearing loss, but then Minhyuk introduces him to Jooheon, a powerful Deaf rapper who signs, and he's not the same afterwards.Deafness can't steal music from Changkyun, and Minhyuk helps Jooheon show Changkyun exactly how he can take over the underground music scene with his powerful rapping, hearing or not.





	Muffled Sounds And Stolen Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Lovelies!
> 
> Before this fic starts, it is more common in young children for there to be permanent hearing loss due to an ear infection, but unfortunately if you get a bad infection in the inner ear, you can get mostly permanent hearing loss. It is quite rare but I know of a few cases of this happening to teenagers (and i researched so hopefully its accurate!)
> 
> Jooheon and Shownu are partially Deaf in this fic, they both use hearing aids, but Jooheon likes to take his out while he's performing so that his ears don't get hurt even more when the songs are turned right up. And props to Shownu for finding a way to dance without his hearing aids getting flicked out of his ears, I don't know if that's an issue or not, but I imagine it would be.
> 
> Enjoy this! All of the experiences regarding Deafness in this fic are based off my own experience, research, and Deaf Culture classes of 2 years, if anything is inaccurate please let me know!

It’s the middle of the winter semester when Changkyun wakes up, his ears pounding in pain when he moves his head from the position, almost crying at the feeling, but he gets out of bed and keeps going, because he knows he needs to work hard in his classes, and he can’t afford to miss his lectures. 

The first 5 minutes of his lecture are fine, but then the pounding pain returns, worsening at every single sound, and Changkyun starts quietly crying in the middle of his lecture, earning a concerned look from his fellow music major Hoseok, who lays a soft hand on Changkyun’s shoulder, before helping him pack his things back into his bag, and walking him out of the back entrance to the lecture hall, hoping he doesn’t interrupt anyone. Changkyun is so thankful that the noise is gone, but even more so when Hoseok silently places his noise cancelling headphones over Changkyun’s ears, and helps the younger into his car, driving him back to his house.

It takes three days of utter pain, and the shift of every noise hurting to just, general pain, and no sound at all, for Changkyun to send his friends a simple “ **SOS someone please take me to the doctors asap** ” and in return, get rushed to the doctors by three very concerned hyungs.

The doctor gives Changkyun a sad smile once he gives Changkyun’s ears a thorough check-up, writing a few questions down for Changkyun to answer, the most heart-breaking question, asking him if he could hear the doctor snapping his fingers next to his ears, getting a rather distraught no in response.

The doctor busies himself on his computer, typing up a prescription for antibiotics, explaining how to use them and how often to Kihyun, who takes notes on his phone, nodding along, his concern for the younger evident in his face. The doctor turns and says something to the two boys in the room, Hoseok and Minhyuk opting to sit in the waiting room until everything was sorted, figuring that Kihyun was the best at taking the mum role. The sound meets Changkyun’s ears, but meets his brain as a series of muffled sounds, and if he hadn’t been paying attention, Changkyun’s not even sure that he would have heard them at all.

“This is a really bad ear infection, it’s right in the inner ear, so once it’s treated, unfortunately, most of the damage done by the swelling of the infection, will be permanent. All we can do is give him antibiotics for now and hope for the best, give them to him twice daily, and make sure that he’s having some ibuprofen to reduce the swelling, it’ll help a bit” Kihyun nods, thanking the doctor before he takes the prescription from his hand, and laying a gentle hand on the younger’s shoulder, signalling that they had to leave.

As his ear infection clears up, Changkyun takes his mother’s advice, and he emails the university, postponing his course for a year, giving him time to recover from the ear infection, and to get used to his new hearing. It was unfortunate for him, his mother texted him, as he finalises his postponed course, that of all the ear infections a music major could get, he had the one that caused the most damage, and he was the one unlucky enough to get nearly permanent hearing damage.

After Changkyun mopes to his mother, she reminds him that it’s not the first ear infection he’d gotten, much to his surprise, being too young to remember them, the old infections wiping out his hearing for a few days while he sobbed in pain. This one had to be the worst of them all, though, and with the worst timing too, and in his moping at his loss of hearing, Changkyun realises that he may never be able to work in music ever again.

Because of course, music needed your full hearing, at least as far as Changkyun knew. Didn’t it?

\-- --

  
  


Changkyun’s ear infection clears up a little slower than expected, and in his checkup once the infection is definitely gone, and his prescription for antibiotics done, his doctor delivers the results of Changkyun’s hearing tests and examinations of his ears, writing them on a piece of paper in slightly neater handwriting than usual, just to make sure everything was clear.

He has just thirty percent of the hearing that he had before his ear infection.

And he could only hear the high tones of speech, that leaves most of speech completely absent from his life, leaving Changkyun shattered, sitting on the uncomfortable plastic chair in the now too warm doctor’s office. The tears prickle behind his eyes, as he tries to ignore his thoughts of losing all he had worked toward in the music industry, losing all of his passion from a damn infection in his inner ear, the small slip of his immune system taking everything he had. The cold hands of fate stealing away the thing most important to Changkyun.

The doctor lays a soft hand on Changkyun’s shoulder as he cries, offering him a sympathetic smile as he passes him a small box of tissues. Changkyun looks at the doctor, eyes glassy from his tears, and with his limited hearing, and very little lipreading skills, he manages to pick up the soft mutters from the doctor. The repeated “You’ll be okay”s, and “You’ll do just fine”s spoken with his normal professional poise, not comforting Changkyun in any way, as he makes his way back home, alone, making sure to stare at absolutely everything to avoid getting into an accident, taking the long way home so that he purposefully takes the traffic light crossings.

The news takes it out of Changkyun for a good week, sending him moping in his room, scrolling through endless pages of social media to avoid his problems, but eventually he gives in, a message popping up in the groupchat

**[ Golden Trio ]**

**From: KiKi**

**Movie night at Min’s and mine on Friday**

**You up for it Kyunnie?**

**From: KkuKkungie**

**Can you pick me up before you start?**

**I don’t wanna walk**

**Or speak to a taxi driver**

**From: Minnie**

**I’ll be there at 3, be awake Kkungie~**

**From: KkuKkungie**

**I’ll try**

**No promises**

**You know where the key is if you need to get in anyway**

**From: KiKi**

**Love you Kyunnie**

**I miss you~**

**From: KkuKkungie**

**Love you too Ki**

**I know ya miss me**

**I would have come to see you if I didn’t feel like death**

**From: Minnie**

**Where’s my love**

**???**

**Guys**

**From: KkuKkungie**

**Love you too i guess**

**Also you’re literally sharing a house with Ki**

**Bug him in person**

**From: Minnie**

**Ki give me your love**

**Coward**

**From: KiKi**

**I literally did but go off I guess**

Changkyun closes the chat with a small laugh, slowly getting up from the ground to go and make himself some form of food for the day, settling on some noodles, pouring boiling water over the noodle cake and waiting rather impatiently for the noodles to cook. Poking the noodles with his chopsticks every few seconds, Changkyun decides to give up waiting after about a minute, separating the noodle cake and taking a bite of the (incredibly hot) half cooked noodles, which would have earned him a slap across the head if Hoseok was at his little apartment to see the mess which was his friend.

\-- -- 

  
  


Minhyuk pulls up to Changkyun’s apartment, knowing full well that he won’t get a response, so he walks up the stairs, letting himself in with the spare key, finding a completely quiet apartment, and after further investigation, Minhyuk finds the younger boy asleep under a mountain of blankets, his phone clutched in his hand, frowning in his sleep.

A giggle leaves Minhyuk’s mouth as he takes a quick photo of the sleeping boy, before flopping on top of the younger, squashing the sleeping boy’s face with his hands, making him let out a small grunt before he turns in his half-awake state. His eyes slowing opening to see the loving face of the blonde boy currently squashing him, grin on his face as he watches the boy wake up, giving his face a light pat and receiving a glare through squinted eyes.

“Hey Min” Changkyun mumbles, his voice deep and husky with sleep, making Minhyuk practically lose his entire cool at how cute the younger is, so Minhyuk decides that the only logical thing to do is to push his face into the younger’s cheek while grinning, before dragging him out of bed to get the coffee that Minhyuk knew he desperately needed.

The two give up on speaking after a few attempts, Minhyuk’s voice right in the range that Changkyun can’t hear, and his lipreading still incredibly rough, only able to pick up a few common sounds, they end up texting as Minhyuk lays on the floor of the apartment and Changkyun wakes up slowly

**[ Minnie and KkuKkungie private message ]**

**From: Minnie**

**You’re so cute**

**Did you sleep well**

**From: Kkukkungie**

**I am not cute**

**I’m the handsomest**

**From: Minnie**

**Okay you got me there**

**From: Kkukkungie**

**Yeah I slept well though**

**How long until we leave to go to your place?**

**From: Minnie**

**Get dressed and we’ll go**

**As long as u need Kkungie**

**From: Kkukkungie**

**Coolio**

**I’ll go get ready then**

**Don’t trash my lounge while I’m getting dressed**

**From: Minnie**

**No promises**

  
  


Minhyuk laughs loud and genuine when he hears Changkyun’s yell of protest from his bedroom when he reads the text, the younger willing to fight him if he wasn’t also rushing to get to Kihyun and Minhyuk’s house for their lunch date, which would probably turn into a sleepover, knowing their track record. Changkyun pulls on a loose shirt and some sweatpants before putting on his favourite dinosaur socks, and yelling out to Minhyuk that he was ready, hoping that he wasn’t too loud when he yelled out, but going by the fact that when the younger man walks out of his bedroom, switching off the light, Minhyuk is getting his shoes on near the door, keys at the ready.

The blonde smiles at Changkyun with his classic loving eyes at the younger’s cuteness, before tilting his head to the door with his eyebrows raised, silently asking the younger ‘Are you ready to head off now?’, to which Changkyun nods, grabbing his favourite red converse off the shoe rack, slipping them on without doing up the laces

“I’m good to go now, Min, let’s head off” Changkyun says, hoping that he hadn’t yelled it at the older man, as he locks up the door behind the two, walking down the stairs to Minhyuk’s little car, parked out the front.

\-- --

  
  


The boys end up quickly bunched together on the old two-seater couch in the lounge room of Minhyuk and Kihyun’s apartment, sharing a pizza that Kihyun had remembered to order before Changkyun and Minhyuk had arrived back home. They eventually put on High School Musical, the youngest’s favourite film, and switch the captions on, so that Changkyun won’t miss any part of the film. 

They’re enjoying singing along poorly to the musical numbers for a while, until the big scene about not playing basketball, and wanting to be a singer comes on, and then it hits Changkyun that his dream of working as a music producer may not be a thing that he can achieve anymore, and before he knows it, he’s quietly crying.

Minhyuk notices quickly, pausing the movie to look concerned at the younger boy, before letting Kihyun know that the younger boy was crying, the short boy unable to see because Changkyun had his back pressed against his shoulder

“Oh baby, what’s wrong?” Kihyun mutters, running his fingers through the soft hair of the younger, hoping it was comforting him a little, before Minhyuk bundles Changkyun into his arms, pulling him against his chest, letting him sob quietly. Comforting words leave both of the older’s mouths, not reaching Changkyun’s ears, but the vibrations of their voices, each a distinct feeling, rumble through Changkyun’s chest, calming him at least a little bit.

Changkyun looks up to the older boys after a few minutes of crying, eyes red with tears, almost childlike as he looks to his hyungs with a silent thanks for looking after him. With what he hopes is a soft voice, Changkyun starts to explain to the curious eyes of his hyungs, just why he was upset

“My hearing is never going to be the same, right?” he mumbles, looking to Kihyun who nods sadly at the younger 

“How can I ever have a career in music ever again, you need to be able to hear to work in music. I mean, how can I ever produce a beat if I can’t hear the beat I’m making? I’ll have to have someone else there to tell me if it sounds good! There’s no way I can work by myself in the industry ever again!” Changkyun is softly crying as he finishes his mini rant, turning to Minhyuk, who looks just as upset as the younger man, before speaking softly, even though he knows that the younger boy won’t understand him fully.

“Oh love, you’ll be okay, trust me” Minhyuk smiles, before he remembers that it’ll be easier to just text the group-chat so the trio can talk properly

**[ Golden Trio ]**

**From: Minnie**

**Oh Kyunnie**

**You’ll be just fine**

**You don’t always need to hear to be a successful producer and musician**

**From: KiKi**

**Love, you’ll be okay, you know what you’re doing, and your work won’t lose quality**

**Even if you have to call me at 3am to ask me if it sounds great**

  
  


**From: Kkukkungie**

**I love you guys so much**

**But I don’t think I can do the same work without being able to hear it**

**From: Minnie**

**I have a nice surprise for you then**

**Come to a gig with me on Sunday**

**From: Kkukkungie**

**Okay but why**

**From: KiKi**

**I’ll come if you come too Kyunnie**

**From: Kkukkungie**

**Oh dang, guess I have to now**

**From: Minnie**

**I was going to just cart you out of your apartment and take you anyway**

**I’m glad you’re willing**

**It’ll make you feel better, trust me**

**From: Kkukkungie**

**I just,,,**

**Haven’t heard of any way that I can do music while Deaf?**

**So**

**Yeah**

**From: Minnie**

**Google Shownu**

**He’s a Deaf singer and dancer**

**Only partially Deaf but he wears his hearing aids all the time**

**And I heard of some rapper that’s Deaf?**

**I don’t know much about him**

**But he exists**

**From: Kkukkungie**

**Oh?**

**You have my interest now**

**Can we watch some videos of Shownu?**

Changkyun looks up to Kihyun, who is already fumbling with his phone to get a video of the dancer on youtube for the younger man.

Changkyun feels a little bit of hope bloom into his chest as he watches the tall man dance, his physique strong, and his hearing aid visible as the camera zooms into his face, as he sings something that was obviously impressive, by the way that Kihyun’s mouth hangs open a little. They watch a few dance covers of some Western songs, Shownu moving with impressive accuracy, conveying the beat with his whole body that even has Changkyun completely enraptured with the small sounds of the bass coming through to his brain. Once Kihyun plays a few more covers, one of the man just singing, commanding attention to the stage with his straight brows and the way his face transforms as he sings, when Kihyun looks at Changkyun, locking his phone and watching the wonder in the younger’s eyes, Kihyun is forever glad for Minhyuk, who still has his arms wrapped around the younger, his head resting on the boy’s shoulder, and a grin on his face.

“Okay I feel better now, that guy is so cool” Changkyun smiles at his hyungs, before grabbing his phone out to text the group once more, the silence returning to the ears of the older boys

**[ The Golden Trio ]**

**From: Kkukkungie**

**How did you find Shownu, Min?**

**He’s so cool!**

**I’m glad you showed me those videos**

**From: Minnie**

**I have my ways**

**Never underestimate me, young one**

**From: Kkukkungie**

**You a Jedi master or something?**

**Or are you mafia?**

**I wouldn’t put it past you**

**From: KiKi**

**He’s musician mafia**

**He’s got his connections**

**That explains the all black outfits and sketchy gigs**

**From: Minnie**

**First of all**

**How dare you plot against me**

**Secondly**

**Shownu came to one of the gigs I was working at**

**He’s pretty cool!**

**From: Kkukkungie**

**I’m jealous**

**How do you always meet the cool people**

**I just met Hoseok**

**Only because he was freaking out over people checking him out**

**From: KiKi**

**Hoseok is a baby**

**I will stand by my claim**

**[ Kkukkungie took a screenshot of the chat ]**

**From: KiKi**

**HEY**

**You little shit**

  
  


Kihyun hits Changkyun’s arm and watches as the younger cackles to himself, sending the screenshot to his hyung, who replies almost as soon as the message goes through, with a simple

**From: Hoseokkie**

**I can’t believe this slander**

**But also Ki is right**

Changkyun laughs wildly as he gets the reply, handing his phone to Minhyuk who laughs loudly into Changkyun’s ear, some of the noise reaching his ears properly, making the younger smile even more, before handing his phone to Kihyun

“You heard it here first, folks, Hoseok knows he’s a big baby” Changkyun tries to put on a dramatic voice, not sure if he did it correctly, but the older two laugh regardless, making Changkyun feel at ease, only the smallest lingerings of hopelessness left, the rest of his heart filled with affection for the older boys. 

The younger leans back into Minhyuk’s chest more, practically pushing him into the arm of the couch, but the older shifts so that Changkyun is more comfortable, wrapping his arms around him with a big smile on his face. Minhyuk says something to Kihyun, the tones rumbling through Changkyun’s back, comforting him a little, and Kihyun nods, getting up off the couch and returning moments later with an armful of soft blankets, Changkyun’s favourite ones off Minhyuk’s bed.

Kihyun lays the blankets over the two on the couch before squishing himself at the other end of the couch, turning the movie back on, and letting Changkyun enjoy the warmth of the two boys who always protect him, cuddling into him to keep him grounded, the feeling of Minhyuk’s breathing against his back comforting him, and slowly lulling the younger to sleep in the blonde’s arms.

  
  
  


“Ki, is Kyunnie asleep?” Minhyuk whispers, feeling the boy relax in his arms, face tilted towards the back of the couch instead of at the screen, Kihyun turns to smile at the two boys with fond eyes, nodding slightly, reaching out a hand to brush the long hair away from the sleeping boy’s face.

“He’s completely gone, do you want to stay here or should we try to take him to your bed?” Kihyun is completely whipped for the younger boy, glad that he’s relaxed enough to sleep, but he can’t stop himself from staring at the softness on the usually sharp face, the eyebrow piercing complimenting the younger boy’s straight eyebrows. Minhyuk just shifts ever so slightly on the couch so that Changkyun won’t fall off the couch, and his legs won’t go numb, and smiles at the boy as well.

“If you let me put my legs on top of yours, I think we can sleep here, plus my arms are noodles, I don’t think I can easily lift him” Kihyun laughs a little at the blonde, before shifting Minhyuk’s legs on top of his own, pulling the blanket so they were all covered and warm, before switching the tv to another movie, something they could easily fall asleep to. 

“If he starts snoring, I can’t guarantee that I won’t leave you to suffer, though” Kihyun says, an evil smirk on his face, a score to settle between the two after Kihyun is often the one left stuck on the couch with a snoring Changkyun, sometimes snoring loud enough that he even wakes himself up with a start, making Kihyun laugh.

“You’re so mean, just wait until he shifts and kicks you in his sleep or something” Minhyuk laughs a little, running his fingers through Changkyun’s hair as he sleeps, turning to face the movie, before slowly following the younger to dreamland.

Minhyuk wakes up later in the night, all the lights turned off by Kihyun, the tv off, and both boys curled up together on Minhyuk’s lap. The short boy has himself wedged between the couch and Changkyun, legs intertwined with both other boys on the couch, hand clutching at Minhyuk’s shirt, basically trapping the youngest in between the two older men. Minhyuk gives them both a soft smile, before he places his hand over Kihyun’s shoulder, pulling him closer, and he falls back asleep with ease.

  
  


\-- --

  
  


Surprisingly, when Minhyuk shows up to Changkyun’s apartment, he finds the younger man awake and frantically writing lyrics into his notebook, his head bopping to a non-existent tune, and Minhyuk gives him a massive grin as he walks into the lounge, placing a soft hand on the boy’s shoulder, giving him a little fright, before the boy gets up off the floor, putting his notebook back in its usual spot on the coffee table, before walking to the door to get his own shoes, Minhyuk following him with a smile on his face.

“Is Kihyunnie in the car?” Changkyun asks, a little quieter than what he had probably wanted, looking up at the blonde boy, who gives him a nod, before getting his own shoes back on

“I’m so excited for this gig, I don’t know what’s so exciting about it, but I’m pretty excited” Changkyun rambles, smiling at the older man, so wide that his eyes turn into little crescents. Minhyuk gives him a clap on his arm, before opening the door with a grin, and what Changkyun actually manages to lip read as 

“I’m glad that you’re excited Kyunnie” And Minhyuk wasn’t expecting the grin he got when Changkyun understood him, but it made it all the more worth picking the boy up for the gig.

Kihyun greets Changkyun, waving wildly from the passenger seat in the car, a splitting grin on his face, despite it having only been about 12 hours since Changkyun went home from Minhyuk and Kihyun’s place. Changkyun cracks a grin as soon as he sees his curly haired friend, waving back just as eagerly as he walks to take his seat in the back of the car, sitting diagonal from the older boy so that he can still see his lips.

“You want to put some music on Kyun?” Kihyun asks, handing the aux cord to the young musician, his splitting grin still on his face

“Can I bass boost it so I can hear it?” Changkyun asks, raising his eyebrows to the two older men in the front of the car, who nod, turning up the car radio before Changkyun hits play on his favourite playlist of songs, a nice bass boosted song by Crush vibrates the car a second later, Changkyun enjoying the feeling of the music in his bones, most of the song reaching his ears just fine, and it makes him way happier than he thinks anything else can.

The golden trio drive to the music bar that Minhyuk often worked at, helping out with their technical setups, walking in to see people slowly filling up the floor around the stage in the dim room, music pulsing in the floor through the speakers, word incomprehensible as Minhyuk leads Changkyun and Kihyun around the back of the stage to meet with the sound guy filling in for Minhyuk.

Changkyun follows wordlessly as he makes his way with Kihyun plastered at his side, he enjoyed the environment, but only really when there was a performance going on, so it was nice to have someone else to stick to while Minhyuk talks to nearly every person they pass. The trio eventually reach the sound booth hidden behind the stage, passing some artists who Minhyuk waves to, and yells a quick hello before continuing, Hyungwon is filling in for Minhyuk at this gig, the tall silver-haired boy recognising the trio almost instantly, distracted from his little dj playlist he had been setting up, he walks over to the boys with a massive grin on his face.

“Hey how are you guys?” Hyungwon shouts over the music, loud enough that Changkyun actually manages to make out his words through the background noise

“I’m glad you came! Especially you Changkyun! I have someone I want you to meet once we’re done!” 

Despite Changkyun’s confusion, he nods to the taller boy with a grin on his face, giving a thumbs up to hopefully show Hyungwon that he was eager to meet whoever it was that he would be seeing after the show

“I’m excited to see the show!” Changkyun yells, feeling his own voice clearly in his head, as he smiles, before being pulled away by Minhyuk, who gives Hyungwon a quick salute, dragging Kihyun and Changkyun with him to meet his friend Gloss, a rapper who had been performing at the bar since Minhyuk had started working there, the two chat for what feels like forever, before Minhyuk is dragging Changkyun and Kihyun around to the front of the stage so that they have a good view of the performances.

Changkyun enjoys the normal lineup of rappers and singers that used to perform when Changkyun would help Minhyuk out with the sound setups, Gloss with his new powerful beats that make Changkyun’s head buzz as he spits bars faster than anyone else there, his friend RM joining later in the set, the two rapping excitedly, having an absolute ball on the stage. Changkyun looks at the crowd around him, bopping to the beat, and Kihyun grinning like an idiot, enjoying the concert even though he had insisted that he wouldn’t like something so loud. The crowd cheers for Gloss and RM as they make their way off the stage waving to their friends who scream loudly in the crowd, enjoying the performance as they always did.

The crowd goes wild when the next performer makes his way up onto the stage, his dyed orange hair styled up like devils horns, his eye makeup making him look utterly terrifying, his gaze sharp, but unlike the other rappers, this one had a little mic that hooked over his ear, sitting in front of his mouth like the ones that the professional singers used. It piques Changkyun’s interest, his eyes following the powerful movements of the performer, commanding the attention of the crowd before he raps.

The first time Changkyun hears the rap leave the man’s mouth, Changkyun can say he’s definitely impressed, the strong tones hitting him with the force of a crashing wave, the syllables greeting Changkyun’s ears like an old friend, they are sharp and precise, but in a way they are comforting, familiar.

The rapper moves across the stage with such precision, but what takes Changkyun off guard a little, is when he finishes the first verse, and then his hands move with an absolute practiced precision, the quick movements take Changkyun’s breath away, and Minhyuk laughs, looking at the wonder in his friend’s eyes as he sees the rapper sign as aggressively as the syllables leaving his lips.

The first time that Changkyun sees Jooheon sign, is quite possible the most powerful, it is that moment where his brain clicks that you can rap in any language, and it can be just as powerful, the precise feeling of the rap conveyed in Jooheon’s powerful facial expressions, the sharp movements of his hands. 

The beat pulses through them, and there is only one way to feel about the man before the crowd, and that is utterly impressed, and the crowd pulsing around Changkyun feels the same, screams erupting from every corner of the room as Jooheon finishes his set, flashing a blinding smile at the crowd before going behind the stage.

“Who was  _ that _ ?!” Changkyun yells in the gap in the beats, as the next rapper comes on stage, a tall boy that was familiar to everyone, Minhyuk laughs again, clapping his friend’s shoulder

“I knew you’d like him! That’s Jooheon!” Once the words leave Minhyuk’s mouth, the crowd erupts into cheers as S coups starts his set, his friends screaming right next to the stage, making the man grin before his whole demeanour changes and he begins to rap.

Changkyun’s mind wanders to the power of the signing rapper, and maybe Changkyun starts to feel his musical career coming back into the realm of possibility, his Deafness becomes something less of a burden in his eyes, and something that gives him more possibilities in the industry, opening doors in a way he didn’t expect.

The rest of the concert goes past in a blur of pulsating beats and screaming crowds, something that Changkyun can only hope to be on the other side of one day, rapping his heart out for everyone to hear. Before he knows it, Hyungwon is dj-ing up the front of the crowd, who are slowly dispersing to see their artist friends, slowly trickling out from behind the stage, and Minhyuk is grabbing the arms of Changkyun and Kihyun, dragging them back behind the stage.

“Changkyun we’re going to talk to a friend! Hyungwon wanted to introduce you but he can suffer!” Minhyuk yells over the music, laughing at the fact that he was foiling Hyungwon’s plan, dragging the boy over to the back end of the room, where the orange haired boy with his slightly intimidating looks sat, scrolling through his phone and practically inhaling a bottle of water.

“Lee Jooheon! You killed it out there my dude!” Minhyuk yells, letting go of the other two boys’ arms and walking up to Jooheon, who lets out the brightest smile Changkyun had ever seen, and as soon as Jooheon looks up to Changkyun, he sees a completely different boy from who was on stage, the soft eye smiles and dimples as he waves to Kihyun and Changkyun

“Thanks man! It was a killer set this week, I’m glad you enjoyed it!” Minhyuk nods as Jooheon throws a quick peace sign his way.

“This is my friend Changkyun, and Kihyun, my housemate, Changkyun’s gone deaf recently and he didn’t think he’d be able to work in the music industry until I showed him some of Shownu-hyung’s performances, and took him here tonight” Jooheon nods at Minhyuk’s yelled words, before flashing his iconic grin at Changkyun again, who feels his heart race in his chest.

“Hey man how’s it going? Nice to meet you!” Jooheon extends his hand for Changkyun to shake, still sitting down, and Changkyun just about explodes at how excited he is to meet someone as cool as Jooheon

“Really good! Man you are so cool! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that powerful at these shows!” Changkyun blurts out, making Jooheon grin even more, the laugh he lets out making Changkyun blush, but he’s pretty excited still that Jooheon thinks he’s lovely.

“Do you want to move to somewhere quieter so I can hear you guys?” Jooheon yells, getting up from his chair and walking with the other guys to the back door, that leads into the alley out the back, all noise leaving Changkyun’s ears, leaving him in silence again, although he knew that everyone else could still hear the music pulsing from inside. Kihyun and Minhyuk move away from the two boys a little, giving them a little bit of privacy while still being able to keep an eye on their young friend

“You said you’re Deaf Changkyun?” Jooheon asks, his voice obviously softer than it had been inside, but the downside of that being that Changkyun could barely hear him anymore, even without the background music pulsing in his bones.

“Yeah, I am, had an ear infection and now I can hear about a third of what I used to be able to, and sorry to ask but can you speak up more? I can’t really hear you unless you’re yelling” Jooheon nods, smiling at the younger boy

“You should get some of these bad boys” Jooheon smiles, grabbing his hearing aids out of his pocket, holding them up before popping them into his ears, turning them on 

“Hmm, nope, they can stay off for now, there’s still too much background noise, and it’ll be too loud when I yell” Jooheon mutters, popping his hearing aids back out, returning them to his pocket

“They’re really worth it though Changkyun, you should invest in a pair, and if you have enough money laying around, you can get some cool ones that hook up to your phone’s bluetooth.” Changkyun smiles at Jooheon, nice and genuine, before nodding eagerly

“Maybe I should get some, huh? I would like to be able to hear again” Jooheon nods as well

“Yeah, you have to remember you won’t get all of your hearing back, but they can do a lot for you, trust me! I’d know, I’ve been partially Deaf since I was really young.” The younger throws up a peace sign, smiling at the rapper.

“You know, I seriously didn’t think that I’d be able to do music after my ear infection, but you gave me hope up there, you know?” Jooheon’s face flushes pink at Changkyun’s words before smiling so much that his eyes can’t even be seen, making Changkyun smile too.

“Man, you don’t even know how glad I am to hear that! I love rapping out here because I can feel myself rapping in the floor, and I can feel the music with my entire body. And seriously, what’s better than signing while you’re rapping? It looks cool, and my friends can understand me too!” Jooheon grins, excited to tell someone about his passion, he stops for a second, before quickly signing something to Changkyun, his eyebrows raised in question.

“I don’t know how to sign, sorry man, I should probably learn, but it’s easier to just text my friends” Changkyun says, his voice giving away his disappointment at not being able to sign to his new friend

“I only went Deaf last month, it’s been pretty rough too” Changkyun smiles at Jooheon, his smile a little too tight, but Jooheon gives him a sympathetic smile, reaching his hand out to pat Changkyun’s arm

“I get it man, not everyone born Deaf learns to sign either, your choice if you want to learn though, hit me up and I’ll give you some good resources” Changkyun feels a little better about not learning to sign, but in the moment he is just utterly grateful for Jooheon, and how kind he is.

“Would you like to hang out and write some stuff with me sometime? Minhyuk said you’re a music producer right?” The offer makes Changkyun’s face light up with joy, something that makes Jooheon also really excited

“Yeah of course! I’ve started rapping recently too! Gloss and I are pretty good friends so we used to rap together before concerts” Jooheon nods eagerly, fishing his phone out of his back pocket, opening a new contact and handing it to Changkyun, who quickly enters his phone number, sending himself a message to make sure he has Jooheon’s number.

“Man, I’ll text you where to come, but we should totally hang out and work on some stuff together, how’s next weekend sound?” When Changkyun nods eagerly, grinning Jooheon is glad he decided to rap at the show at that specific weekend, and Changkyun is absolutely ecstatic at the chance to be a part of the music industry again, even if it was different from what he had originally intended to do.

Eventually Minhyuk drags Changkyun away from Jooheon, the two being fast friends, and takes him back to his and Kihyun’s apartment, said younger being asleep almost as soon as the car gets going, exhausted from the night out. Changkyun thanks Minhyuk multiple times on their way home, texting Jooheon to get to know each other better, the two bantering after what seems like only a few minutes, joking like old friends.

After Changkyun and Minhyuk help a very sleepy Kihyun into bed, they settle on the couch, texting as not to wake up Kihyun with any noises, snuggled into each other as they usually end up.

**[ Minnie and Kkukkungie private message ]**

**From: Minnie**

**You enjoyed the show then?**

**I’m glad you came**

**From: Kkukkungie**

**Honestly?**

**The best show I’ve ever been to**

**You literally helped me not to lose my passion for rapping hyung**

**From: Minnie**

**Nah I just happened to know some people**

**Jooheon helped you the most, if anything**

**From: Kkukkungie**

**He’s so cool**

**I’m so glad I came with you**

**I don’t think I’d be feeling as good as I am right now without him**

**Also Hyungwon literally didn’t even find us after the show**

**From: Minnie**

**Oh shit lol**

**I forgot to even say goodbye to him**

**I should text him**

**From: Kkukkungie**

**A great friend**

**But seriously dude I am so happy right now**

Changkyun buries into Minhyuk’s side, smiling at the older as he messages Hyungwon to apologise for not finding him before they left, thinking about the great night he’d had

  
  


\-- --

  
  


Jooheon gives Changkyun a quick hug as he goes to sit down in the studio, his new hearing aids letting him hear better than he had in well over a month, the silver receivers poking out from under the younger’s hair

“Oh yo, dude you finally joined me in the cyborg realm!” Jooheon says, grinning as he points to his own jet black hearing aids, that look similar to the earpiece he often wore on stage nowadays.

“You ready to hear the new beats I made with Woozi last week? You’ll love them” Jooheon turns on his chair to face the monitor of his computer, pressing play on a track and filling the studio with the sounds of sirens and a strong beat.

The boys work on lyrics together for the beat, Changkyun bopping to the tunes that he could hear so much better with his hearing aids, if even a little tinny, they were there and he could distinguish the sounds, and that was great. Jooheon encourages Changkyun to test out his lyrics, hitting play on the track, and watching as his friend changes to the hard faced rapper that loves what he’s doing 

“I AM WHAT I AM” Changkyun’s voice pierces through the soundwaves, pointing to his hearing aids as he introduces himself, lyrics precise and powerful, earning the proud look of Jooheon as he starts to bop to the rhythm of the younger’s rap.

Proud and powerful, the two Deaf rappers take their little bar by storm, and maybe, just maybe, Changkyun ends up with more passion for music then he ever had before he lost his hearing. And nothing was going to stop Jooheon and Changkyun, they were monsters on the stage, and they knew how to command the stage just like Changkyun had dreamed of doing, watching Jooheon’s stage from the crowd.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends!  
> I really hope you enjoyed this fic! 
> 
> Deafness doesn't limit what Deaf musicians can do, and if you ever get the chance to see a signing rapper, it's very impressive, and I love it a lot! Remember, the only thing that Deaf people can't do is hear!
> 
> If you enjoyed this remember to leave me a comment or kudos! Your support keeps me inspired!  
> You can scream at me on twitter @renjunsrey
> 
> Have a lovely week!


End file.
